Tyson Foods’ plant-based campaign now targets middle-class flexitarians in Europe

The European lineup of Raised and Rooted savoury snacks will consist of a choice of battered or crunchy nuggets, garlic & herb dipping fries, spicy popcorn and nachos. Credit: Stepanek Photography / Shutterstock.

Following an encouraging rate of growth since launching in the US last year, Tyson Foods announced earlier this month that it will be expanding its Raised and Rooted brand in Europe to release five products under the label, adding plant-based nuggets and popcorn ‘chicken’ to the existing line-up that is crossing the Atlantic.

Earlier this year, Brett Van de Bovenkamp, president of Tyson Foods Europe outlined the company’s global growth aspirations, stating “you can’t be a global, sustainable protein leader without being in Europe… Although Europe’s a mature, slower growth region, we have to have a presence here to fulfil our strategy.”

He went on to mention Europe’s superior sustainability and animal welfare expectation. However, even though Europe makes for an excellent region for manufacturing, large companies may want to look elsewhere to sell products with such high standards for these claims.

These savoury snacks will be free from palm oil, GMOs, artificial colours and preservatives, which will appeal to those looking for ethically or sustainably sourced ingredients. However, GlobalData’s COVID-19 recovery survey tracker – week 10, showed that only *31% of European consumers agree those ingredients are more important to them before, compared with South America and Asia, where the response was significantly higher at *59% and *52%, respectively. This shows that selling elsewhere is likely to yield higher profits, since the growth rate is really stepping up in those areas. These trends have particularly gained traction in Asia and South America since the Covid-19 pandemic which has reignited worldwide fears of disease transmission through animal meat.

Upon announcing the company’s expansion to Europe earlier this month, Bovenkamp acknowledged the growing number of flexitarians in Europe, and pitched the food giant’s targets high, stating that Tyson’s “international footprint and infrastructure makes us uniquely positioned to be a European market leader in alternative protein.” In contrast to the US lineup, these products will be entirely free from egg protein, making it accessible to vegans as well as flexitarians. This indicates that Tyson is bringing its reaction to growing flexitarian consumers closer to its core strategy.

The alternative protein segment is currently a multi-billion-dollar category and continues to grow thanks to the boom in consumer demand for premium plant-based products. The European lineup of Raised and Rooted savoury snacks will consist of a choice of battered or crunchy nuggets, garlic & herb dipping fries, spicy popcorn and nachos. The new products will be packaged in a 60% bio-based plastic. The bold flavours and premium packaging of this product will certainly appeal to middle-class flexitarians, who are pressed for time and demand small, healthy quantities to satisfy their protein cravings.

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